'Lipstick Under My Burkha' to be released

After a long battle with the censor board in India, a film about a group of Hindu and Muslim women is finally being released in the country.

The award-winning 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' was initially blocked by India’s censorship board, in part because it was "lady oriented".

It complained of “sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society”, implying that it might offend Muslims.

India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) sparked uproar in February when it refused to certify Lipstick Under My Burkha, in a case that again raised fears over creative freedom in the country.

Director Alankrita Shrivastava appealed the decision and in a statement published late Tuesday the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) ordered the CBFC to release the movie, albeit with a few cuts.

“There cannot be any embargo on a women-oriented film or one containing sexual fantasies and expression of the inner desires of women,” the FCAT said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

It ruled that the film was suitable for anyone aged 18 or over and should be given an adult certificate.

It accepted several cuts offered by the film-makers and ordered a reference to “prostitutes” to be removed, as well as ruling that the length of some sex scenes should be reduced.

“Of course I would have loved no cuts, but the FCAT has been very fair and clear. I feel that we will be able to release the film without hampering the narrative or diluting its essence,” Shrivastava told AFP.

The movie tells the secret lives of four women - including a college student who wears a burkha, and a 55-year-old who rediscovers a sex life after the death of her husband.

It won an award at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year and aired at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in October. It also appeared at a film festival in Los Angeles earlier this month.